Stop Moaning About Fracking You Eco-Snowflakes

Liz Truss spoke in favour of fracking during her campaign for the Tory leadership and as part of her energy plan as electricity bill's soar, she is widely expected to shortly announce the end of the fracking ban which was imposed in 2011.
Unbelievably, all those environmental types have kicked off complaining that the reason it was banned in the first place was due to it causing earthquakes in Blackpool and even that moron Boris Johnson went from hailing fracking as 'glorious news for humanity' and energy companies 'should leave no stone unturned, or unfracked' to announcing that all fracking must cease immediately after a British Geological Survey linked earthquakes, polluted water supplies and building subsidence to the process.
The New Government are expected to explain patiently yet again that Britain needs to find new sources of Energy due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Fracking is the way forward to keep the lights on as well as boosting tax revenues, creating jobs and drive down household bills so everyone's a winner.
Of course we all know that in America where fracking has been going on for over a decade, the Environmental Protection Agency has said the chemicals used are known carcinogens and toxins which has led to air pollution, chemicals leeching into the water table and polluting people's tap water causing respiratory, kidney and neurological damage and yes, it has led to seismic activity and subsidence in homes but consider the alternative of wind farms and solar panels, nobody wants them ugly things in their neighbourhood when they can have a whacking great fracking well.
It may be banned in New York, and several European nations such as France and Bulgaria have banned fracking altogether who have followed the general rule of thumb that any human activity that causes earthquakes and poisons the water supply is not to be encouraged but it is different here and its unlikely we will have anything like the River in Australia which contained so much methane which seeped into the water from the fracking wells that it literally exploded when a local MP put a match in it.
It is therefore vitally important that we pollute our water system with dangerous chemicals and cause earthquakes in Britain as it will make us less dependent on the gas of Russia so stop moaning you eco-snowflakes, it's all about thwarting Putin so don't put anything fragile on high shelves and if it does get  really chilly this winter, we can always set fire to our rivers or tap water to keep warm.

Fracking Ban Not As It Seems

Seems that while he is still looking for a suitable ditch to die in after missing the much promised 31 October Brexit deadline, Boris Johnson has announced that all fracking must cease immediately after a scientific report linking earthquakes and the inability to predict them or their strength, to the method of extracting shale gas from the ground.
As this is the Boris Johnson government though and completely untrustworthy, the u-turn is not as much of a u-turn as it is being presented and rather than fracking being banned as is being suggested, it is being called a 'moratorium', or temporary halt, 'until the science changes'.
This prompted a great line from the the Green Party that a fracking ban is for life, not just for Christmas as it was quickly suggested that the suspension is with an eye on the 12 December election and a stunt to try and win a few votes.
Boris Johnson once hailed fracking as 'glorious news for humanity' and argued that energy companies 'should leave no stone unturned, or unfracked' and dismissed opponents views as 'ludicrous and mad denunciations' which makes the decision to immediately comply with such a view even more puzzling.
Boris has also previously suggested that air pollution laws should be relaxed and the Conservatives have cut subsidies to renewable energy such as wind, solar and tidal in favour of building more nuclear power station so their green credentials are hardly shining.
Being as Johnson and his cabinet appear to be such bare-faced liars, any person with an ounce of common sense should be concerned that he'll green-light fracking once again should he wake up as Prime Minister still on 13 December and the science report he finds so concerning today, will be filed in the bin.

Who Would Have Thought Fracking Causes Earthquakes

Regardless of the evidence that amongst other drawbacks, Fracking causes earthquakes, the Government in their wisdom has after a pause in 2011 following a 1.7 quake for seismic research allowed fracking to continue in Lancashire once again and 11 days later the fracking has been paused once again after a 0.4 tremor was followed by one of 0.8.
Cuadrilla has said that it was only 'tiny movements' and local residents have nothing to fear and nobody is in danger which subtly overlooks that what they are doing is causing earthquakes regardless of the size.
The British Geological Survey (BGS) said that 'any process that injects pressurised water into rocks at depth will cause the rock to fracture can result in earthquake activity' and that's even before we get to cases of where the local water tables are poisoned and in cases in the USA where fracking is much more widespread, gas leaking into the drinking supply causing tap water to ignite.
The Government justified their decision to continue fracking by saying if successful, it would lead to tens of thousands of jobs, make a very significant contribution to the exchequer and reduce emissions'.
All very significant and worth remembering by Lancastrians when their tap water is set alight and their houses are shaken to bits.

Going Underground

Fracking has been a divisive issue ever since it was stopped in 2011 after it was blamed for earth tremors in Blackpool.
Now the Government have gone big on fracking but acknowledged public concern and produced a list of protected areas where surface drilling would not be allowed, including national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty.
The parliamentary undersecretary of state for climate change, even underlined the point by trawling the TV studios to repeat that: 'We have agreed an outright ban on fracking in national parks and sites of special scientific interest'.
Pretty unequivocal you might think but where there is a will there is a way and the fracking companies and the Government have come up with a way to bend their own rules but staying within the agreement to not frack in certain areas.
The new rules allow fracking 1,200 metres below national parks and sites of special scientific interest, as long as drilling takes place from outside protected areas so the companies are allowed to drill down on the edge of such protected areas and then drill horizontally underneath them.
We should all make a point to visit the various National Trust beauty spots around the country while they still have the chance and before the ground beneath them are turned into Swiss Cheese and the ground poisoned.
I just hope that the people who opposed wind turbines for ruining their view will be happy with the green carcinogenic water that will pouring through their taps soon enough as they scan the landscape. 

UK Government Bury More Bad News

As the Labour Party Aide who declared September 11 2001 as a good day to bury bad news would appreciate, yesterday wasn't a bad day either so as everyone was looking towards the vote for war in Iraq, the Conservatives slipped out a lovely little gem almost unnoticed.
Published online on the morning of the parliamentary vote, the Government just happened to pick that day to publish the results of a consultation into fracking rights and decided to reject the 40,000 objections to allow fracking below homes without owners’ permission.
The governments justification to stick two fingers up to home owners is that the current ability for people to block shale gas development under their property would lead to significant delays and that the legal process by which companies can force fracking plans through was costly and time-consuming.
'It is essential that we make the most of home-sourced energy and start exploring the natural energy supplies beneath our feet. By removing barriers to deep underground drilling access, we are speeding up oil and gas and deep geothermal energy exploration' the statement read.
It does make you wonder why did they bother going through with the sham of a consultation and despite 99% being against it, just did what they wanted anyway?
Only 11 months to the next election and the country can say a big thank you to Dave Cameron.

More Earthquakes This Year

It seems you can't turn on a TV this year without hearing of an earthquake rattling somewhere so if you think there have been more earthquakes than usual this year, you're right as there has been twice as many in the first quarter of 2014 than average.
'We have recently experienced a period that has had one of the highest rates of great earthquakes ever recorded' said the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
All the Worlds tectonic plates are linked together and when one shifts it has a ripple effect on others which is how the USGS explain what is going on but they are still unable to make any predictions on why there are more or where the next earthquake will strike but they do admit to an increase of earthquakes over the past 20 years.
I wonder what has been happening over the past few decades that can possibly cause more earthquakes?
The Seismological Society of America pin the blame on fracking changing the stress on existing faults, inducing earthquakes that wouldn’t have happened otherwise and point to over 100 recorded quakes of magnitude 3.0 or larger each year between 2010 and 2013, compared to an average of 21 per year over the preceding three decades.
We know fracking induces earthquakes but it's going to be another climate change type battle with the people with the most to lose refusing to accept the dangers and the science until it is too late.

NIMBY

The CEO of ExxonMobil, one of the oil giants behind fracking, has joined a lawsuit that challenges the construction of a water tower connected to hydraulic fracturing operations near his Texas home, given that it will cause unwanted noise and traffic associated with trucking water from the 160-foot tower to the drilling site and may reduce the value of his $5 million property.
Don't you really hope he gets told where to stick his lawsuit.

Earth Moving In Texas

When the earth doesn't stop moving for three weeks you are either in a relationship with Russell Brand or you live in North Texas which has been experiencing a string of earthquakes for over 3 weeks with fingers being pointed at the whole loot of fracking going on .
Residents in the region have suffered 16 earthquakes in November and six in the last four days and when they are not holding onto ornaments on shelves, the people living in the vicinity are speculating that forcing high pressure water and chemicals into rock in order to extract natural gas reserves is the culprit.
Since 1970 and 2007, the area around the Texas town of Azle experienced two earthquakes but since the start of 2008, 74 minor quakes were reported in the region.
Cliff Frolich, earthquake researcher at the University of Texas, said: 'I'd say it certainly looks very possible that the earthquakes are related to injection wells' a view backed by a Government study that found the use of underground storage wells to get rid of waste water produced by fracking is 'almost certainly to blame for the jump in earthquakes in Midwestern states in recent years' citing the 29 magnitude 3 or greater quakes in 2008 to the 134 in 2012.
As Texas has 6,000 oil and gas fracking wells in operation, Santa won't be getting many requests for an etch-a-sketch from Texans this Christmas.

Fracking Is Good For The Economy

I can't believe that all those environmental types are complaining again after the Government announced tax breaks and fast-track permits for shale gas exploration in the UK.
As the Government explained patiently yet again: 'The measures would kick-start the industry in a way that protects the environment and supports communities'.
Fracking will boost tax revenues, create jobs, reduce energy imports and drive down household bills so everyone wins.
Granted fracturing rock with high-pressure liquid to release the gas causes earthquakes, pollute water supplies, blight the countryside, causes buildings to subside and affects house prices but cheaper bills.
Again i grant you that it was said that when oil was discovered in the North Sea energy would be so cheap it wouldn't be worth printing energy bills but that was in the 60s, this is the 21st century.
Of course i also concede that in America where fracking has been going on for over a decade it has led to air pollution and chemicals leeching into the water table and polluting peoples tap water and yes, it has led to seismic activity and subsidence in homes that you cannot insure or sell but consider the profits of the energy companies.
Great news for energy firms and their share holders then, tough on everyone else but if we just keep repeating it will be good for the economy i think we can get away with it.

Fracking For Us

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in the UK was stopped in 2011 when it was blamed for causing two earthquakes in Blackpool. Now the Government is planning to announce not only a lifting of the ban but announcing tax breaks for fracking companies and all in the name of  those handy coveralls 'boosting the economy' and 'creating jobs'.
So apart from causing earthquakes as witnessed in Blackpool, and in California, Ohio and Arkansas in the US, what else do we know about fracking?
We know how they 'frack', it involves drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at a high pressure in order to fracture shale rocks to release natural gas inside. The fluid is a mix of water, sand and up to 600 chemicals, chemicals that are known carcinogens and toxins and containing chemicals deemed to be 'hazardous wastes'.
In America, where fracking has been big business, the toxic chemicals have been known to leach out from the system and contaminate the groundwater, used for drinking water for nearby cities and towns. There have been over 1,000 documented cases of water contamination in the States as well as cases of sensory, respiratory, and neurological damage due to ingested contaminated water.
Environmental officials in Pennsylvania discovered traces of benzene and arsenic in the bodies of local residents causing kidney and liver damage and blamed the fracking industry and health officials advised residents in Wyoming not to drink the water in areas where fracking is going on after they found dangerous levels of hydrocarbons in the water supply.
Regulators ordered a cease to all fracking in Susquehanna County and advised residents to avoid drinking the water after chemicals used in fracking entered the water supply.
So earthquakes and poisoning the water supply are two big minuses against it but but fracking has yet another disadvantage to it, it poisons the air as well.
The toxic fluid that is not left in the ground to poison the water we drink is left in open air pits to evaporate, releasing harmful compounds into the atmosphere contaminating the air, causing acid rain, and releasing ozone.
George Osborne may well tell us that it would be good for our economy and will create jobs but at the cost of our health, our drinking water and our air quality but considering this Government are also pushing to land us with a load of nuclear power station and the radioactive waste that comes with them, i don't think they will be put off by a few earthquakes and poisoned water supplies.
It's all about the economy you understand so stop moaning and don't put anything fragile on high shelves. 

Fracking

Fracking is back in the news after the Government has been advised to allow it to be extended across Britain, despite it causing two earthquakes the first time it was tried here.
Apart from creating earthquakes, i know very little about fracking apart from it involving drilling a well and pumping it full of chemicals in order to release the gas held in the rocks, but as it has been going on a long time in America, we should probably look there to see how it is working out.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said that fracking may be to blame for causing groundwater pollution and Health officials have advised residents in Wyoming not to drink the water in areas where fracking is ongoing after they found low levels of hydrocarbons used in the fracking process in their water supply. The fracking also caused ground-level ozone pollution affecting the quality of life for Wyoming residents.
How about in Pennsylvania, another state where fracking is popular, any problems there? Ah, regulators ordered a cease to all fracking in Susquehanna County and advised residents to avoid drinking the water after chemicals used in fracking entered the water supply.
In New York, regulators have refused to issue fracking permits to protect water supplies while the French and Bulgarians have banned fracking altogether. President Sarkozy said: 'This won’t be done until it has been shown that technologies used for development respect the environment, the complex nature of soil and water networks'.
Not looking good for fracking is it and i would say as a general rule of thumb is that any human activity that causes earthquakes and poisons the water supply is not to be encouraged.
Ooops, too late, the UK Government has already issued the licenses to fracking companies.
I wonder if all those people who spent time and energy objecting to ugly wind turbines spoiling their views in their area are happy now with this alternative. Enjoy.